Conan and the Spider God Read Online Free PDF Page B

to—”
    “By Erlik!” cried Kushad. “Know you not who the lady was?”
    “Nay; who?”
    “I do forget! You have been out of touch with mankind for a fortnight. Had you not heard that Jamilah, the favorite wife of King Yildiz, has been abducted?”
    “No, by Crom, I hadn’t! Now that I think on it, the night I fled, a company of Yildiz’s horsemen galloped past without pausing to question me. I thought at first that such gentry would be searching for me on account of Orkhan’s death; then I idly wondered if they were not on the trail of bigger game.”
    “It is your misfortune that you knew not of this kidnapping. Had you rescued the lady, your recent indiscretion would have been forgiven. His Majesty’s men have turned the kingdom upside down in search of her.”
    “When I served at the palace,” mused Conan, “I heard rumors of this favorite, but I never clapped eyes upon her. It was said that Yildiz was a simple, easy-going fellow who relied on this particular wife to make all his hard decisions. She was more king than he. I daresay the camel was her mount. But even had I rescued the lady from the Zamorians, I have no wish to continue in Yildiz’s service.”
    “Why so?”
    Conan grinned. “When I was galloping about the Hyrkanian steppe, being roasted and frozen and chased by wolves and dodging the arrows of nomads, my heart’s desire was duty with the palace guard. I thought I should have naught to do but swagger about in well-polished armor and ogle the ladies.”
    “But when I became Captain of the Guard, I found it a terrible bore. Save for a little drill each morning, there was naught to do but stand like a statue, saluting the King and his officials, and looking for spots on the uniforms of my men. As much as anything, ‘twas to escape the tedium of my post that I commenced my intrigue with that bitch Narkia.
    “Besides, the unfortunate Orkhan, it appears, was a son of Tughril, High Priest of Erlik. If I know priests, he’d sooner or later find means of revenge, with or without the King’s approval—poisoned needles in my bedding, or a dagger between the shoulder blades some moonless night. Anyway, two years with one master is long enough for me; especially since, as a foreigner, I could never rise to general in Turan.”
    “The rosiest apple oft harbors the biggest worm,” said Kushad. “What would you now?”
    Conan shrugged and took a gulp of Kushad’s wine. “I had meant to flee to Zamora, where I know people from my old days as a thief. But the cursed Zamorians stole my horse—”
    “You mean King Yildiz’s horse, do you not?”
    Conan shrugged. “Oh, he had horses to spare. The thieving devils got not only the beast but also the little gold I had hoarded. You it was who persuaded me to save a part of each month’s pay; but see what good that’s done me! I might as well have spent it on women and wine; I should then at least have pleasant memories.” “Count yourself lucky they did not cut your throat whilst you slept.” Turning, Kushad called: “Tahmina!” When the girl appeared, he said: “Pull up the board and give me what lies beneath it.”
    Tahmina thrust a finger into a knothole in one of the floor boards and raised it. Crouching, she put an arm into the orifice and brought out a small but heavy sack. This she gave to Kushad., who handed it to Conan.
    “Take what you think you’ll need for a new horse, with enough besides to get you to Zamora,” said the seer.
    Conan untied the sack, inserted a hand, and brought out a fistful of coins. “Why do you this for me?” he asked gruffly.
    “Because you were a friend when I needed a friend; and I, too, have my code of honor. Go on, take what you need instead of gaping at me like a stranded fish.”
    “How knew you I was gaping?”
    “I see with the eyes of the mind, now that those of the body have failed me.”
    “I have met cursed few men in my wanderings who would do such a thing, or whom I could truly call